A Virtual, Practical Placement at the National Railway Museum

2021 offered particular challenges to our wonderful second years on History, Community, and Culture, and to our placement providers – some of the most innovative and renowned across York’s heritage sector. In the first of our annual series, Samuel Huish writes about his experiences of archival work with the National Railway Museum, where he put his historian skills to the test with transcribing letters.

Letter, Robert Stephenson to Henry Kingsford of Canterbury & Whitstable Railway, in pursuance of agreement between the directors of the company and his father, George Stephenson. Letter written 12 June 1830 at Newcastle upon Tyne. This image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence

This past semester I have been working in a placement provided by the university at the National Railway Museum in York. The main focus of the work there was to develop archival skills through the research and interpretation of a set of sources. My interest in becoming a museum curator in the future, something which has developed since the start of my time at university, has definitely grown as a result of this placement. The skills I have learnt will definitely assist in my understanding of a museum workplace, as will the people I have met.

To get into the specifics of the work done, I shall focus on a single object of the five I studied virtually. A letter from Robert Stephenson, the son of George Stephenson, and equally well renowned for his engineering prowess. The letter contains a discussion on an agreement between Robert and the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway. The agreement relates to specific parts to build a stationary engine. There is also a section of the letter on the second page discussing the recent staffing changes that took place. It is an important object to have studied as the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway was the first railway to have regular passenger trains taken by locomotives across its line. The importance also comes from how close this letter was written to the time of the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway. The letter was written on the 12th of June 1830, the line had opened the same year. The famous train ‘Invicta’, sister train to the equally famous ‘Rocket’ ran on this line as the main engine for assisting with steep hill climbs.

I am only able to discuss and describe all the above information because of the work I have done during my placement. The letter initially had no transcript when I began work on it. With some basic guidance from the National Railway Museum, I worked to produce one, and this is another skill I believe to have developed. Transcription work has its difficulties, for example remembering not to correct anything you see that appears incorrect. Of course though, this is not always the case. At the beginning of the letter, I occasionally struggled to decipher the almost two century old writing due to the virtual nature of the placement. However, through persistence I was able to gradually familiarise myself with this writing style and the handwriting itself, allowing for a clearer understanding of the item.

Once the transcript was completed I could complete the research, much of the result of which is in the earlier paragraph. It was sometimes difficult to know when to stop the research and to focus on the next item, but this again is something I learnt as I progressed through the objects. An interesting aspect that came from the research was my engagement with another museum on the item. The Whitstable Community Museum & Gallery has a particular interest in this letter due to its

importance to the railway. Having this line of communication is another useful practice to learn for a future in curation. Learning so many skills here, through enacting them in relation to these items, has provided a way for me to learn so much about archival work, and prepared me for my future

My Experience as a Third Year in a Global Pandemic

Covid-19 presented lots of challenges to our university, as it has across the world. For third-year students about to complete their studies, it was a particularly demanding and bittersweet end to their time at YSJU. Here, in one of our Covid-19-related student blogs, graduating third-year Elara Christie looks back and offers some reflections.

My time at York St. John was the best three years of my life. The History course is so welcoming from the moment you meet them. Before you know it, you’re in a full-blown community of people rich with diverse ideas, talent and intelligence.

When you sign up for University life, you never think that it will end abruptly. Throughout your degree you glamorise the cap and gown and the photos you’re going to take outside of your University with your Dissertation. You get to your ultimate year and everything becomes ‘the last’. It’s your last ever lecture, last ever seminar, your last ever coffee in your favourite coffee shop. You overly romanticise every detail of what you’re going to wear, do and say for your ‘lasts’; you’re never going to experience it again.

My University experience ended abruptly on a random Monday in March. I never got my ‘lasts’. I never got my goodbyes. My graduation is all up in the air right now, with only a questionnaire asking if I’d attend a socially distanced graduation in November or if I would prefer to do it all online. Yet, I wouldn’t really change any of it.

Although the sorrow of not getting my ‘lasts’ is to be expected, it also brings the reminiscent reminder that I am sad because I had such a good time studying History at York St. John. I have done things here that I thought I could never achieve, including writing a 10,000-word dissertation and studying abroad in New York for three months. I am sad it came to an abrupt end because I had such an amazing time there.

The most important thing I learnt at York St. John was that if you put your mind to it, nothing is impossible. I learnt to live my University life to the fullest, and every time I was rewarded with something amazing. Whether it be the social life, academic life or just falling in love with the city of York, there was always something to get involved with. I learnt to study hard whilst having fun, and that there can be a way to balance your life. I have made the greatest community of friends here, with memories that will last a lifetime. I cannot thank the effort that the History, American Studies and War Studies lecturers have gone to in order to ensure our success.

I also learnt that if something is not right, it is okay to speak up. I took a few modules at York St. John where they were not what I had expected; it happens from time to time. Instead of trying to get through it, I spoke up about it. The lecturers and the head of the department were always there to help, and my thoughts were always taken on board. The department always communicated well with students, and this always ensured our success. If something felt ‘off’, I always knew I could speak to a lecturer any time, whether it was after class, in a one on one meeting, or through email. This was also enhanced through the feedback of the academic representatives, which I was a part of, who made sure that the course leaders knew what was going positively and negatively throughout the course.

I found that if I was comfortable with a module (by that I mean I enjoyed it and retained the information), I tended to get a much better grade than I would have in the module I would have struggled in. I learnt that University life is about playing to your strengths, not wrestling your weaknesses. Your first year, and even your second, is a lot of playing around with what you like, how you learn and focusing on adaptation. I would recommend trying to branch out and study things beyond what you’ve already learnt, you may just find something worthwhile.

Many of my peers expected me to be interested in the U.S./Russian modules, but I found that when I swapped to the Victorian module at the time, I learnt something really new and interesting whilst also playing to my strengths. I think that comes when you start to settle on what type of History you enjoy, and my strength was definitely social history. By playing to my strengths, I was able to cope with my stress and feel more comfortable in my lectures and seminars. I ended up really enjoying all the modules I took, and the flexibility meant I could specialise in what I enjoyed.

If I had to give my advice to the incoming third year students, I’d tell them this:

Please start your dissertations early. It will be the hardest assignment you will ever complete, and you never know when a global pandemic will hit. Writing a dissertation in a normal climate is hard enough but having to write it in a world with no physical library, limited resources and neighbours living with three young kids next to you is even more challenging. I know you’ve probably already heard that a thousand times by now, but I would rather you start it now than go through what we had to go through. It’s tough, but it also pays off enormously when you hand it in.

Also, take each day as it comes and do not be afraid to speak up if it does get too much. Live each day in York as if it’s your last; you never know when something out of the blue will hit. Enjoy every moment you have at York St. John and make sure you get your own ‘lasts’. Who knows, if you collect enough memories along the way, you’ll end up sad because it’s over, too.

I don’t regret one bit of studying History at York St. John, and I thank the abrupt ending for reminding me of all of the good times I had. It’s made me realise that University, even during the ups and downs, was truly the right choice for me and I’d do anything to re-live it all again. I can’t wait for graduation, even if it does take place online.

Five Words, One Year: My first year in History with YSJU

First year can bring about a lot of feelings for those about to undertake university life – excitement, concern, curiosity, panic about doing your own washing for the first time… Here, second-year student Jodie Rodgers discusses what she made of her first year, and offers some advice for those incoming. 

Reflecting on my first year, there’s no denying that university can be really challenging, but believe me when I say it can be equally, if not more, rewarding. This year flew by, leaving me with a new bunch of friends, a whole host of knowledge and new experiences I’ll not forget (as cringeworthy and cliché as that is). This is my first year in 5 words.

Challenging.

Different assessments, more independence and a lack of organisational skills undoubtedly made the start of the year a massive challenge, but I think I’m better at it all now. I collated all of my feedback to notice trends in what I was doing well and what I wasn’t. This was really useful until I noticed that I had helpfully not saved any of the feedback for one of my modules… oops! This is something that I found very useful because it meant that I had a holistic view of where I’ve succeeded and what areas need improvement moving forward in my degree. My early worries about being late were soon put aside due to an over cautious overestimate of how long it takes to get everywhere so soon enough the biggest challenge was assessments, which we have so much support for anyway. Also, a weekly routine is pretty helpful.

Daunting.

York is the first city I’ve lived in, so I faced at least two big changes last September. Starting university meant new places, new people and new experiences and I’ve never really been a fan of change. It was daunting to have to start completely fresh but liberating at the same time. I had the chance to reinvent myself and be who I wanted to be. From being bullied for years, to having a really supportive group of friends has really brought me out of my shell. It’s nice to finally unapologetically be myself. The ‘learning to adult’ was hard though. YSJ is similar to sixth form in many ways; there are so many people who support you and everyone wants you to succeed. Yet, it’s different in that our education is what we make it now. Any avenues we want to explore we can.

Lockdown.

Arguably, this has been the hardest yet most memorable part of my first year. While I know I’m not alone in feeling like this, the move from studying in person to entirely online was really difficult, but when I had submitted my last assignment for the year I was so happy that I’d got through it. Finding and following a new routine and staying motivated to do the work was awful. But I managed it. I learned that I have a lot more determination and drive than I had ever realised before. The biggest challenge for me relating to lockdown was how difficult it was at times to share ideas, something I was more than used to before. However, as is the overriding theme of my first year, I somehow managed to overcome the hurdle and produce some work that I’m really proud of. And, in hindsight, lockdown itself really wasn’t as bad as I anticipated.

Rewarding.

I’ve changed a lot since September last year, and I couldn’t be prouder of how far I’ve come. Honestly, I didn’t know if I’d be able to stick it out at uni within the first month or so, but things started to click for me (obviously). Initially I was very homesick, I didn’t feel like I fit in anywhere and despite being almost constantly around people I felt very alone. This changed though, and I’m so glad I persevered, with my family coming to visit whenever they had the chance, I started to settle in. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else now. I’ve always enjoyed learning new skills, and getting grades that reflect how hard I worked, so this year has pleased my little nerdy brain. That’s not to say I’ve found everything easy; I haven’t. But by some miracle (and with a lot of hard work) I’ve always come out on top.

Fun.

Hours working in the library were balanced out with trips out for modules, outings with friends and the occasional foray into the nightlife. One of my favourite days was a trip to nearby monasteries. The weather was absolutely awful, rainy and cold, but nonetheless we managed to make the most of the educational experience and having a laugh with everyone. We all turned into big kids whist learning a lot!

Overall, uni for me is a combination of everything. I wouldn’t have got to the end of my first year without support from everyone around me, and I still have so much more to learn. Just got to keep motivated and hopefully enjoy each year more than the last.

3,2,1 LOCKDOWN: Finishing a degree during the Covid-19 Pandemic

As results come out for A-Level students and for our final-year students, it’s a time of excitement, nerves and reflections. In the first of our Covid-19-related blogs, graduating third-year Emily Jayne Knights (BA) discusses finishing her degree during the pandemic, what she missed out on, but also for what she, and her whole year group, can be very proud. 

2020 has been incredibly challenging for all of us. At University, the Coronavirus global pandemic has thrown us in at the deep end to a completely new style of learning. Working without the in-person support of our friends and lecturers was certainly a unique experience, and not quite the way we all wanted to finish our time at university. However, despite all the changes occurring, finishing our degrees has remained a poignant milestone for all of us.

Typically at YSJ, the end of 3^rd year is celebrated with a good-old knees up with your friends at the SU on campus or at your favourite watering hole with your mates, coupled with events such as  the Sports and Societies balls, Summer Archies Day, and the highly anticipated graduations in November at York Minster. My friends and I were particularly looking forward to that final moment of celebration. A moment when you stand proudly with the people you have grown with over the past 3 years, and begin a new chapter of life.

This is shown in the completion of our dissertations. Facing a 10,000 word long piece to write can seem daunting at the best of times, but when you have to leave the city you have called home for so long, 4 months earlier than planned, and are thrown into a world of online lectures, zoom calls and a feeling of panic and worry, it tends to lose its importance amongst all the new worries in the world. Nonetheless, the feeling of elation at submission still remains; submitting your pride and joy for the final reckoning is of course TERRIFYING. But beneath the terror is relief and pride.

Many of us decided that despite it no longer being a requirement to submit a physical copy of the dissertation due to social distancing, we still wanted to mark and preserve that moment of achievement, relief and elation. Whether it be on a nature walk, in our family home or garden, holding up a printed version of our most precious work yet made finishing the degree we have all worked so hard for feel more real and special. Although sadness remains that some of us may not see the campus for a long time, I still feel united with my classmates, and I feel that finishing our degrees in these circumstances has made many of us realise just how fortunate we were to experience university life in the way we did.

As much as we have to praise ourselves for being able to succeed under the circumstances, we also have to praise our lecturers for supporting us and creating these new materials. YSJ is like an extended family; you meet people there who make you believe in yourself and your abilities and who encourage you to become the best person you can be, in both academia and wider life. We have a lot to be grateful for despite the difficulties we have faced, especially having a student body that supports and paves the way for your success.

Finishing a degree from home was definitely not something any of us expected to be doing. Working from your childhood home is odd to say the least, especially when coupled with trying to balance work and home life, caring for older parents, not being able to go for ‘panic walks’ (a technique perfected since second year exam season) and generally having to cope with an entirely new world and way of life whilst juggling a degree. It’s very odd to say the least, and not something any of us could have even imagined having to live through. But we have coped. We have adapted. We have succeeded. And we will continue to succeed.

The York St John Graduate Class of 2020 have much to be accredited for, and I am proud to be a part of it. We are YSJ.